Equitable Care for Older Australians: A Comparative Analysis of Aged Care Workforce Shortages in Metropolitan, Rural, and Remote Australia

The Australian Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has highlighted the chronic shortages of labour to provide care for those aged 65 and over in rural and remote areas of Australia. This descriptive cross-sectional study compares the availability of care provision in metropolitan regions with that in rural and remote regions. We analysed the 2021 Australian Census, grouped according to Aged-Care-Planning Region (ACPR), and investigated the numbers of people aged 65 years and over with different levels of care need, both in residential care and in-home. The available workforce in each ACPR was also examined in detail, using occupational classifications reported in the Census, and shortages of doctors, nurses, allied health and other care workers were identified. Overall, an additional 492,416 care hours were needed per week (or 12,958 full-time equivalent (FTE) care workers) in order to bring remote community ACPRs to parity with provision in metropolitan ACPRs. A further 95,342 FTE workers were needed in rural ACPRs to bring these areas to parity with metropolitan ACPRs. Our findings underscore the ongoing disparities in aged care workforce availability between metropolitan, rural, and remote regions of Australia. Addressing these workforce shortages is crucial to ensuring equitable access to care for older Australians, regardless of their geographical location. The implementation of targeted strategies to enhance workforce recruitment, retention, and training in these underserved areas is essential to bridge the gap and improve the quality of care provided to older adults in rural and remote communities. Such strategies could include targeted recruitment campaigns and incentives for professionals to relocate; further capacity for clinical placements and supervision in rural areas; tailoring funding and employment models for rural needs; and strengthening vocational education in regional areas.